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More than the first day of school, it’s the annual Back-to-School picnic that truly heralds the start of a new school year; it was a real pleasure to see so many of you on Randall’s Island last Saturday. I’d like to thank and congratulate Bolek for the seamless organization (I don’t know how he does it, imagine coordinating an event for 800 people during the first week of school!)

It dawned on me on Tuesday—right in the middle of my back-to-school speech to the middle schoolers—that this year is my 10th school year as a head. It might seem like a lot; you’d imagine I would have tired of it by now, but I have the perfect antidote: I work at The École where inertia is impossible—the rhythm of the school year is too frantic to allow for it!

The first day of school is fast approaching and we can’t wait to see the kids next week. We took full advantage of the summer break to do some large-scale reconstruction work and have created five new classroom spaces—four in the Elementary & Middle School Building and one in Maternelle. We needed new spaces to accommodate our growing student body—we are very proud to be welcoming 319 kids to school on Tuesday.

There’s a distinctive flavor to the last days of school. We are excited and sad, exhausted and full of energy, liberated and anxious all at once. It’s a bit like when we pack our suitcases before leaving for vacation—we can already picture ourselves reclining under palm trees but we can’t shake the feeling that we have forgotten something.

Last night, we celebrated the imminent end of this school year between colleagues. The staff party was the crowning moment in a particularly joyful week that saw our talented students take center stage once again. It was also an opportunity for The École team 2021-2022 team to get together one last time. The 2022-2023 version will look pretty different in September; several colleagues are leaving us for new adventures and challenges elsewhere. I am certain they will be dearly missed by colleagues, students, and families. I’ve gone through similar moments several times in my career and I know how difficult it can be on a personal and professional level to make the decision to leave.